Unexpected Friendship
by MariaLujan
Summary: Angela is six years old and she is dissapointed with her family, but she discovers in Sister Monica Joan a great companion of adventures.


Angela Julienne Turner hated her 6 years old.

She waited for them with enthusiasm, in fact, she received more gifts than on any of her other birthdays. She had thousands of new pencils and paints, dolls, toys, and according to Aunt Trixie, her new clothes for school were perfect as a magazine model.

But nothing was as she expected. Tim was no longer at home, now he was big, he went to college and would surely have many girlfriends that would be ugly and bad. Teddy just bothered her and seemed to enjoy ruining her drawings or pulling her and her dolls' hair, and the school teacher hated her because she always gave a lot of homework assignments. Definitely, this was the worst age in the world.

That morning was also the worst. Dad and mom were in a hurry as usual but they also seemed angry with each other, and the nanny was sick and she could not take care of Teddy. Angela thought that maybe they were angry about that, but it was ridiculous, nobody was guilty for getting sick. The issue was that they were angry and barely talked.

It seemed unfair to her that her parents leave Teddy in Nonnatus while she was thrown into the school, where she would only suffer. Teddy always did pranks, but he would be having fun with the nurses and going here and there with Fred.

She forgot everything when she came to school and saw her new friends and they started playing, but after a while everything got ruined. Her addition and subtraction again began to be a problem and she erased too many times until the sheet of her notebook had a hole. The teacher reprimanded her and could not avoid the tears, she wanted her mother but her mother was upset and busy today and would be even more upset if she had to go to school because she broke a sheet of paper.

Suddenly she remembered the conversation her father and mother had given her a few months ago and the anguish surpassed her: they were not really her parents, she had another mother who loved her very much, and everyone loved her, but now she was hesitating. If they loved her they would not send her to this horrible school with this horrible teacher with horrible numbers. Maybe her "first mom" as she started calling her in secret, would not send her to school and let her be happy by drawing and painting at home.

The school day passed slowly but it ended and she ran off to the exit, but stopped short when she reached the door. Her mother always waited for her there, sometimes her father when he had time and bought her more watercolors or candy flosses, but this time, there was no one. She clung to her backpack and looked at her hated teacher who greeted the other children who had parents who loved them enough to go and pick them up at school without leaving them abandoned.

"Has not your mom come?" said the teacher, bowing with a smile. Angela shook her head, biting her lip to keep from crying.

"Sometimes the parents are late, she will come." The teacher greeted another child who was just leaving and stopped paying attention to her. Angela began to think that she could leave there alone. She still did not remember well the way to home and she did not know how to read the cartels either but she remembered the colors of the shops in her way. She could escape if the teacher was not standing next to her.

Her stomach made a noise and she reached into her pockets, looking for the coins her father always gave her every morning. If she escaped, she could buy something, and then also take a bus, and also leave forever, and...

"There you are, little angel!"

She looked up but her face fell when she did not see her mother, but Sister Monica Joan. Then she smiled when she remembered that she always had a great time with her, although most of the time she did not understand anything of what the nun was saying. She had not seen her for a long time and when she did it there were always people around that prevented them from chatting together. Happy for the prospect of having a good time, she ran holding out the old hand.

"Have you been waiting a lot there? I do not like the face of that teacher."

"Yes, I was years there! Where is my mom?"

"Your mother has a task of great importance during this afternoon, and your father too. So I went looking for you."

Angela smiled, she did not like the idea of her parents having other things more important to do than going to look for her at school, but at least they sent someone for her.

She frowned when she saw that they would not take the way back home or to Nonnatus and squeezed the nun's hand.

"Where are we going?" she asked, looking up.

"I've known about a big event in the west of the city. We could go, sure there are games and all kinds of entertainment."

Angela opened her eyes wide. She knew about that event, her friends talked about a big fair to which they would go but she resigned herself to not going because she knew her dad could never take her, someone always called on the phone and kept him away from her.

"We need one of those diabolical machines full of people who squeeze to get there."

"A bus?"

The nun smiled at her and patted her head.

"You can understand an old woman, dear. But I don't have money."

"I do." Angela showed her coins "But I'm also hungry."

"We'll take it, no one would dare to charge an old nun and a girl. You're also little, you do not pay."

"If you are over four years old, you must pay." Angela frowned.

"You are four."

"I am six!"She replied offended.

"In the bus you are four."

She did not understand, she supposed it would be another of the strange things the nun said. Maybe the bus was a time machine that could push back the years?

They took the bus up and sat in the back, where the bus was shaking more, which made it more fun. Immediately a man approached.

"The girl is four and you will not pretend to charge me, I suppose" said the nun, looking at the man from top to bottom.

"I'm sorry, sister, but..."

"Sir, you are talking to someone who probably helped you to be born."

The man smiled in spite of himself and nodded.

"You are right, sister. My mother always told me that of her five children, I was the worst and I would not have achieved it without you. Happy trip."

Angela saw Sister Monica Joan smile satisfied so she took advantage to ask her questions, from how the bus man was born (something the nun told her in detail and she covered her ears because it looked like a horror story), to why the trip lasted so long if they were in the same city. Tim always told her that she had a mind too... inqui...inquir… whatever it was. She just wanted to know about absolutely everything, and the coolest thing was that the nun answered all of her questions without hesitation.

When they arrived to the West End, Angela opened her eyes wide. There was a huge fair, a circus, and an amusement park, all in the same place.

"Is not it wonderful?" said the nun, clasping her hands "Lights and colors everywhere!"

She saw the nun walk to either side and followed her. She did not want to get lost so she clung to her habit. Angela also knew that if she followed her she would always find the best food, Tim always said that the old woman's ability was to find delicious food anywhere. However, her stomach was roaring more and more and the nun had no intention of stopping walking. She tugged at the fabric of the habit with insistence and the woman looked at her surprised, as if she suddenly remembered that she was with the girl.

"What's the matter, little one?"

"I'm hungry!"

"I'm busy looking for the best place for us to eat."

"There!" Angela pointed to a stand full of sweets. She should not eat too many sweets because they would hurt her teeth, but that's what her dad always said and today she was angry with him so she would eat them all.

She dropped the coins on the counter and began to point out what she wanted until the woman in charge told her that it was not enough for more. She looked with disappointment at how little she had gotten with the coins and put it between her hands to put it in her pockets. Then she counted carefully and gave exactly half to Sister Monica Joan.

"Thank you, dear" said the woman opening the paper of the first sweet with face of ecstasy.

They kept walking while they ate. They watched some jugglers and applauded enthusiastically.

"Oh, I forgot that I should take your hand" Sister Monica took Angela's hand and they continued walking. "Don't miss you, girl, your mother will not want to talk to me anymore. Although now that I think about it...I think she will not talk to me for bringing you here either."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Angela scratched her head, she did not understand why the woman seemed sometimes happy and then sad or worried.

They kept walking, there were more people, her backpack began to weigh, and her legs to tire. She yawned.

"I think it's time to go" said the woman and soon they took the first bus they saw.

Trixie looked at Sister Winifred and they both swallowed. The afternoon was a disaster, they tried to cook some cookies together for Angela and Teddy but the call from a desperate father took Winifred and Trixie burned the cookies. Then Winifred returned because it was only a false alarm, they restarted with the kitchen but for some strange reason they forgot the time and soon became late.

With guilt, they both walked quickly to school after Barbara relieved them in Nonnatus.

"If only we had Nurse Crane's car..." said Sister Winifred.

"Sorry sister, but I wouldn't want to travel in that car with you." Then she laughed at her face. "I was joking. We arrived on time, the children still did not leave!"

They greeted the teacher, but she looked at them in bewilderment.

"The children have already left school several minutes ago."

"We came to look for Angela Turner. Her parents are busy, there was an explosion at the docks and they commissioned us to come for her."

"But...the girl is not here."

"How is she not ?!"

"She already took her. I thought..."

"Who?!" Trixie shouted.

"One of the nuns.. I don't remember the name."

"Sister Julienne? She can't be, she is working together with the Turners."

"The other, the oldest."

"Oh no, Sister Monica Joan!" They shouted in unison and ran to Nonnatus. They knew it was a danger that the nun would go outside without supervision, but with a little girl with her the consequences could be worse.

She was eating a piece of chocolate, watching the last lights of the West End pass when another gentleman approached them. Sister Monica Joan told him that he should not charge her when she was just a nun from Poplar but the man replied that the bus was not going to Poplar. The protests were useless, the bus stopped and brought them down.

"You must learn something, child: you must not hate anyone, except the bus inspectors."

"Where we are?" Angela asked, looking everywhere. They were nowhere she knew. In fact, it was a rather desolate place. They sat on a bench next to the bus stop sign.

"I can't remember what it was, I can't do it…"

Angela looked at the nun, she seemed very confused and as if she was about to cry. She took her by the hand, as her mother had taught her to comfort her friends. She was silent for a while, the woman was still talking alone and she began to get very sleepy.

"I must take you home but I don't remember where it was."

"It is a big house with a garden." The girl explained.

"There are thousands of houses like that."

"It doesn't matter, I don't want to go to my house. There nobody loves me. In school either, the teacher is bad. In Nonnatus they love Teddy because he is little."

"Oh child, how do you say that? That nobody loves you! What madness is that? The teacher, maybe. Many are bad, but not all. Sister Winifred is a teacher and she is not bad."

"But she is not my teacher."

"You could leave school and she would teach you!"

"Yes!" She shouted excitedly, but her face fell. "Mom wouldn't want to. Do you know that she is not my mom?"

"Your mother is your mother. And she always loves you." The old woman said seriously.

"But she is not, they told me before school started."

"I already know that. But they love you the same because you are their miracle."

"Miracle?"

"That's right, you were a little miracle when you arrived, after so much suffering."

"What suffering?"

"Don't you know the story?"

"What story?" Angela became more and more interested and the idea of listening a story without bedtime excited her even more.

"The story of your parents."

She shook her head.

"Your mother was one of ours. I never heard anyone with such a beautiful voice. Her voice took us to heaven! She was so young and pretty when she came to us...And very capable. She always looked like an angel, like you."

"I don't understand what mom was."

"Your mother was like us."

"Like what?"

"Like me."

"An old woman?"

"I think you share the insolence of your older brother, young lady." She replied offended.

Angela knew right away that it wasn't right to talk to her like that and that she could remain without knowing about the story if the nun continued to be angry with her. She decided to become the victim as her insolent brother taught her.

"I don't understand..." she whined.

"She was one of ours, the best sister."

Suddenly Angela understood what she meant. It could not be. Tim told her that the nuns were ladies who could not marry or have children, so they lived together, but in reality she never knew why her mother was such a friend to them and knew absolutely all the songs they sang.

"She lived in Nonnatus?" She asked with a little fear.

"In another Nonnatus, a much better one, but because of Hitler's fault and moisture we lost it."

"Mom was like Aunt Trixie?"

"Don't put Nurse Franklin and her vanities in the middle of this."

"So she was like you? Like Sister Julienne? Did she dress like this?" The girl took the habit looking at it in disbelief.

"Yes." The nun only responded absentmindedly, standing up to stop a bus. The vehicle continued on its way without slowing down.

Sister Monica Joan sat down again, complaining. Angela knew that if she didn't distract her from her complaints, she wouldn't know what else happened to her mother.

"Sister... Sister, please..." She began shaking the nun shoulder.

"I'm hungry too, girl!"

"I'm not hungry anymore, I just want you to tell me what happened to my mom. Please... please, please, please, please!"

The nun sighed defeated.

"Everything was going well until your father appeared and ruined it. He is a looter of convents."

"A what?"

"Nothing. Anyway, thanks to that you are here. And now you are with me and your mother will want to end my life."

"But…"

"Shhh. Shut up, there comes another bus."

Trixie and Winifred arrived in Nonnatus with the hope that everything was in order. They froze when they saw the Turners and Sister Julienne, exhausted by work, speaking and sterilizing their instruments. Shelagh had Teddy in her arms while the boy tried to reach everything he saw.

"Teddy, stop it, you shouldn't touch any of that. Let's see what Angela tells us about her school day…Where is she?" Shelagh said when she saw that her daughter was not looking behind her colleagues.

Trixie and Winifred looked at each other.

"Is she not here?" Trixie said.

"No, I thought you went to school for her."

"And Sister Monica Joan?" Winifred asked. "Didn't you see her?"

"Sister, what's going on?" Julienne intervened severely. "We just arrived, you were here almost all day, how do you not know where Sister Monica Joan is? And where is Angela?"

"It's...oh no Shelagh, I'm sorry!"

"What happened?"

Trixie was intimidated by the unrecognizable look that Shelagh was giving her so Winifred ended up for her.

"We believe that Sister Monica Joan left, and went through Angela's school and took her away."

"What?!"

"It's...we forgot the time. And it seems that we also forgot to watch Sister Monica Joan."

"How can you be so useless?!" Shelagh shouted. Teddy began to cry and she left him abruptly in his father's arms. Patrick looked surprised at her reaction and everything that was happening.

"I'm sorry, Shelagh, I'm sorry." Trixie pleaded.

"Don't worry," Patrick looked at them, "they're probably out there, walking. Sister Monica Joan always asks for Angela but sometimes we can't bring her, maybe they are just chatting and walking. Shelagh, don't be alarmed, you'll see that..."

"She is sick, Patrick! She is sick and took my daughter! And if you had come before as you told me you would come...!"

"I didn't tell you that, Shelagh, I told you I would do my best, but you didn't listen to anyone this morning and then that stupid explosion happened and you went there too! Why did you go if you knew I was already there?"

Sister Julienne, knowing that they were all in the line of fire of a battle in which they should not get in, grabbed Teddy who kept crying and took Trixie and Winifred.

The sudden absence made them realize they had been screaming in front of too many people. Patrick took a breath, watching his wife twist his hands looking everywhere.

"Shelagh, they will come, we will wait and see that in a few minutes they are here very happy."

But the wait began to get long. Half an hour passed, and then a full hour. Valerie arrived after childbirth and said she had not seen traces of either the nun or the girl, and that she had pedaled several kilometers.

Two full hours later, Patrick decided to call the police. He no longer endured the uncertainty, nor the cries of his son frightened by the situation, nor those of his desperate wife.

"I want my girl." Shelagh cried on Sister Julienne's shoulder. "I love her more than anything, I can't let something bad happen to her. I feel guilty, I didn't attend her these days as I should, I know she's jealous of Edward, she doesn't like school…How does she leave with the first one that appears? It means she doesn't love me. Patrick, we never had to tell her the truth, I think she hates us now that she knows she has another mother."

"She didn't go with anyone, she went with someone she knows. And telling her the truth was the best you could do." Sister Julienne looked to both parents.

"But Sister Monica Joan is sick, sister! How many times did she run away and everything was a disaster?"

"Shelagh, let us trust that God will guide our sister's good judgment and take good care of your daughter. They will appear and this will be just a little adventure and a funny anecdote, you'll see."

Angela leaned against Sister Monica Joan's shoulder. She was cold, hungry and very sleepy. The nun surrounded her with one arm.

"It is nightfalling." The nun said. "We can see many stars from here."

"I just want to see my mom."

"I shouldn't have brought you, now I just made you miss your mother and it's one of the worst feelings."

"And I shouldn't have complained about her, or Dad or Teddy. I miss all of them. Anyway," Angela raised her head, with a watery smile, "I had a great time with you."

"It's true, we've spent time together. I always want to do it but they consider that I am not good with children. Me, who helped thousands to be born."

"As the bus inspector."

"Like that one."

"You didn't finish telling me the story."

"That should be told by your parents." She answered seriously.

"Please! Please! Please…!"

"Well, well, I'll tell you. Your mother was very sad because she couldn't have children."

"That was when she was still like you?"

"God, I want to suppose not." She looked shocked. "It was later, when she was healthy."

"Was she sick?"

"Oh yes, a lot."

"Of what?"

"That is an irrelevant detail for the story. The point is that she could not have children and was very sad. Her eyes were hurt, much more than before...you know."

"Before what?"

"And one day," she continued, ignoring the girl's question, "your mother came with you and was never sad anymore. No one else was. End of story."

"But…"

"Look, there comes someone I know."

Angela smiled when she saw Freddie Noakes' father walking towards them.

"Sister, you don't know how happy I am to see you."

"You will say these things to all the women of Poplar."

He laughed and held out his hand.

"Hello Angela, are you sleepy?"

The girl nodded and he held her up.

"Your parents are very worried about you."

"Really? They are going to punish me?"

"How are they going to punish you if they love you so much, Angela?"

She smiled in the arms of Sergeant Noakes. Now that she had the word no less than of a policeman that she was not going to be punished, she planned to tell her mother in detail about the trip with Sister Monica Joan. She too would convince her father to take Teddy to the fair so that her brother, who she suddenly missed so much, also had fun like her.

"Sister, are we going out together again?"

"It would be beautiful, dear." She answered as they entered the car. "Sergeant, are you going to jail me?"

"I could, for theft of children." He laughed. "Are you were lost?"

"Suddenly Poplar became very distant as Andromeda and we could no longer find the way back."

As soon as they reached Nonnatus, the door opened and Shelagh shot straight at her daughter whom she hugged with such force that the girl was scared and began to cry.

Sister Monica Joan got out of the car, refusing Julienne's help.

"No, no, the girl cries!"

"How could you take my daughter like this?" Shelagh shouted. Everyone was silent, except Angela who kept crying and struggling to get rid of her mother's hug.

"No one remembered her, but I did." Sister Monica replied indignantly. "We only went for a ride, but this country has very complicated buses."

"But why did you take her with you and take a bus?" Shelagh shouted again and looked at her daughter. "Angela, are you all right? Stop kicking!"

Angela just shouted louder.

"I went only for a girl who told me that she feels that nobody loves her. And look, now you've also made her cry. How can you be her mother and scare her like that? You have to love her not to scare her!" Tears of indignation drowned her voice but Shelagh did not stop.

"Because I love her, I don't want her to be close to you!"

Sister Monica looked at her haughtily and entered Nonnatus, followed by Winifred and Sister Julienne and locked herself in her cell.

Angela had already managed to let go of her mother and wanted to run after the nun, but her father reached her and although she also fought against him, she had managed to calm down a little.

"Angela forgive us, yes? We were working and we couldn't go for you..."

"You are always working! We didn't do anything wrong, we just went to the fair but now you got mad at her because of the bus. I hate you! Let me go with her!" Angela began to kick harder so Trixie took her and the girl clung to her, looking at her parents with her eyes full of resentment.

"Let's go inside for some milk. Today we made cookies with Sister Winifred."

Angela nodded, calm and docile, and let Trixie take her.

Shelagh had also calmed down and saw how her daughter refused to look at her, therefore she blamed herself for all the evils in the world. Patrick approached her and hugged her as hard as he could.

"It's over, Shelagh, it's okay, nothing bad happened to her."

"But she hates me, Patrick. I saw it in her eyes, did you see how she looked at us?"

"She's angry, and I think she's a little right. I don't know why, but this year has been hard for her."

"And now I ruined everything even more. I don't even know how to fix some of the whole mess I made in just a few hours."

"Perhaps… asking for forgiveness?"

She sighed and separated from him.

"Sorry, first to you. I yelled at you in front of everyone and today I was insufferable because I didn't sleep well, but that's not your fault. And then the nanny, and...everything that happened."

"Apologies accepted." He smiled but she just lowered her head.

"I owe an apology to everyone, this is terrible. I don't know why I got this way."

"Because you are a mother who does not want anyone to mess with her children?"

In spite of herself, she had to smile.

"I should start with Sister Monica Joan. She just wanted to help…and if I'm sincere, I haven't let Angela approach her for fear of what she can tell her. Sometimes she wanders and that scares the children and I don't want Angela to think weird things or have nightmares. I was wrong."

She let go of Patrick's hug and entered Nonnatus. She heard Trixie talking with her daughter, the child answered only with monosyllables and that squeezed her heart.

Shelagh climbed the stairs without making noise, following the voice of Sister Julienne calling Sister Monica Joan through the door.

"I'm sorry." Shelagh said looking at her former mentor.

"Take the children, you all need to rest. Tomorrow we'll talk, don't worry."

"I can't leave without talking to her. I need to apologize, I was terrible. Please."

Julienne nodded, giving way to Shelagh in front of the door.

"Sister Monica Joan, I'm Shelagh. Can I talk to you?"

"No. Go away."

"Please."

"You made cry to that innocent girl."

"I know. I'm not as good as I thought I was and I'm failing Angela. And today I also failed you. Sorry for what I said, and thanks for taking care of my daughter."

There was no answer and Julienne put a hand on Shelagh's shoulder, telling her to leave because they wouldn't hear anything from the old woman for that night. However, the door opened a little.

"Enter." Shelagh listened, and made a few tentative steps. Julienne wanted to follow her but Sister Monica Joan closed the door in her face.

Shelagh saw that the nun was trying to hide her tears as she sat on the edge of her bed, looking at the floor.

"You can't make your daughter hate you. She is a child, you are her mother, you must love her! You don't know how bad it can be for a daughter that her mother treats her like that. Then she will feel incomplete throughout her life and..."

Shelagh took her hand when she noticed that a sob of the old woman was approaching, and she knelt in front of her.

"I know, sister. I've seen you talking about your mother many times. I know that what you tell me is so that history is not repeated. And I love my daughter, with all my soul. You know? I once told Sister Evangelina that I thought I loved too much. I said it for Timothy, but now I say it for the three children I have. I don't want anything to happen to them and that led me to prevent you from seeing Angela. I did it because I am distrustful and ungrateful. I distrust who taught me a lot about who I am..." Sister Monica Joan just smiled and stroked Shelagh's cheek.

"You were so young...and you didn't know much but you had determination. I know she is not your blood daughter, but she is very similar to you." The nun said smiling, but then she got serious. "She has an amazing mind, bring her to me to chat together, she needs a guide. There is much she must learn and understand."

"Of course I will, sister. Besides, I know you can take care of her better than me."

It was not easy to convince Angela that things had been solved. It cost a lot of promises with the hand over the heart and over her favorite stuffed animal so that she would finally consider that her parents and all the adults around her would keep going to school for her, scold her little brother and allow her to visit Sister Monica Joan.

After chatting a little with Shelagh on the couch about her adventure, she fell asleep while playing with the buttons on her mother's uniform.

Patrick picked her up, to take her to the car where her brother was also sleeping.

"I was very wrong not letting Sister Monica Joan see her." Shelagh said putting a blanket on Angela while they went outside. "She is more awake and lucid than we think, and in a while Angela learned many things, as she told me."

"And it seems that Angela is a little great friend for her."

"She said Angela has an amazing mind, and I think so. Surely she doesn't understand half of what she says, but they keep company. Besides, Sister Monica Joan can't tell her anything bad."

Angela woke up before her father opened the car and looked at him with a frown.

"What's up angel girl? Are you angry?"

"Is it true that mom was a nun and you ruined everything?"

Shelagh looked alarmed, and then laughed.

Definitely, Angela got along very well with Sister Monica Joan.


End file.
